Dennis Trilles

Our 9th MeetUp brought us to Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits in Alamitos Bay. Thanks to everyone that joined us! Thanks to Chris @ BP for giving the group a peek inside the Brewery. As I mentioned in a past blog post, the Long Beach location is the home of Ballast Point’s sour beer program. They have been releasing things here and there, but the real stuff (not that the other’s aren’t real) can take years to ferment. If you take a peek into the brewery, you’ll see barrels stacked inside, that’s where all the longer aging beers are sitting. Those likely won’t be fully ready for some time.

If you’re interested in joining us for our next adventure, CLICK HERE and join our MeetUp Group!

Interested in brewing your own beer but don’t have the space and/or don’t want to invest into all the equipment for it? Well, you’re in luck. When Dutch’s Brew House opens, which will be very soon, you’ll be able to create your own amazing handcrafted beer, bottle it, label it, and drink it!

How does it work? It’s easy.. Dutch’s has the recipes, ingredients and equipment. All you need to do is pick a recipe and the Brew Masters will guide you through the process of brewing it. Brewing takes some time, so be prepared to spend a few hours there. Don’t worry though, Dutch’s will also be pouring locally crafted beers in their tap room. So, you can drink (and eat) while you brew! After you’re done, your batch will ferment for X amount of days (depending what you’re brewing) at their facility. When it’s ready, you’ll return to bottle it, label it and eventually… DRINK IT! Have kids? Bring them.. They can also hand craft their own sodas!

Prices will vary depending on which recipe you choose and how much you want to brew. Perfect for special events or to enjoy at home by yourself and/or with friends.

Photos below were taken at a special event at the brewery a couple weeks ago.

Until we get a chance to go over to the new Liberation Brewing Co ourselves to check the spot out and see what their plans are for it.. Here’s their Press Release… Welcome to the neighborhood!

Liberation Coming to Long Beach

Liberation Brewing Company is a craft brewery coming to the Bixby Knolls/Cal Heights area in Long Beach, CA. Liberation Brewing Company is the brainchild of Dan Regan, former member of renowned local ska band, Reel Big Fish.

Liberation recently signed a lease to open at 3630 Atlantic Avenue, along the Bixby Knolls business corridor. Liberation Brewing will join the burgeoning beer scene in Bixby Knolls/Long Beach as a production brewery, manufacturing many different types of beer to be sold out of the on site tasting room, for take-home in growlers, and to be distributed to local bars and restaurants.

The idea for Liberation Brewing Company was born while Regan spent twenty years touring with Reel Big Fish, visiting breweries throughout the world. After leaving the band in 2013, he decided to put his love for craft beer and homebrewing to good use: “I had been getting free beer for a couple decades backstage at the Reel Big Fish concerts. For the first time in my life, I had to buy it at the store. This would not do. I dusted off the business plan and rallied the comrades to spread the gospel of our unbound libations. LIBERATION!” He partnered with then home brewer Eric McLaughlin, who has since gone on to win various medals for both his home brew and a 2014 World Beer Cup silver medal for Saison Noir, made while he brewed for Ohana Brewing Co. in Los Angeles.

We’re pleased to welcome another brewery to the area, Ten Mile Brewing! Ten Mile Brewing is paving the way for breweries to invade our neighbors in Signal Hill. They have been brewing award winning beers at home in Lakewood and figured it’s finally time to get serious. In order to open shop in Signal Hill, they had to get some zoning laws changed. I’m pretty sure this wasn’t cheap.. So, if you’re a brewery that has hopes/plans to also open in Signal Hill, make sure you pay Ten Mile a visit and slide some cash under their door!

Ten Mile Brewing is run by father and son team, Dan & Jesse. Their family owns a cabin next to Ten Mile Creek in the Sierra Nevada’s and is where the name of the brewery comes from. Their logo is derived from Native American Indian symbols of mountains and water. Good thing I asked because I would have spent more time forming the shapes into a T and M…

Another cool thing I learned they do that I haven’t really heard of before is they condition their water to represent the area from which the type of beer they are going to brew. Huh? They do what? Depending on what beer they’re going to brew, they’ll research where the beer is originally from, figure out what minerals and what not are usually found in the water source from the area and recreate it.. I’m still not 100% sure how this is done.. I’ll have to pay them a visit one day during this process.

They will be located on Willow St one block west of Orange Ave, right across the street from the cemetery. Stay tuned as we’ll document the different stages of the brewery and their beers.

As we wait for the breweries to open in Long Beach, we decided to venture to the outskirts to see what neighboring cities have to offer. For our 3rd MeetUp, we headed over the Vincent Thomas bridge to check out Brouwerij West in San Pedro! The brewery utilizes a Meura Mash Filter which is much more efficient than a conventional lauter tun. What exactly does this mean, I don’t really know either.. but all you need to know is it creates higher yields using less grains and best of all, less water. With this California drought, I guess this makes them a green brewery?

If you haven’t been yet, it’s definitely worth the trip. The space they occupy is HUGE and the selection of beer is great. Whether you want something light, fruity, hoppy, strong or sour, they (usually) have something for everyone’s tastes. Thanks to Andi for giving us the grand tour of the facility.

If you’re interested in joining us for our next adventure, CLICK HERE and join our MeetUp Group!

Last week we had the pleasure of hanging out with Levi Fried, Owner/Brewer of Long Beach Beer Lab. We were lucky enough to get a sneak peak at the brewery and tasting room that is in the works. They will be located in the heart of the Wrigley area of Long Beach. This is guaranteed to be the hot spot for locals in Wrigley and all of Long Beach. Located on Willow near Magnolia, they will also be easily accessible off the 710 freeway. As we walked through the building, Levi pointed out where the fermenters, seating, bar, kitchen and mezzanine will be located. With the amazing high ceilings, It’s easy to imagine how awesome the place will look once it’s complete. Stay tuned as we will visit them regularly to update everyone on their progress. As we go, we’ll reveal more about the brewery such as what types of beer they’ll be brewing and what they’ll be serving from the kitchen.. In the meantime, enjoy the photos!

Beachwood BBQ & Brewing is celebrating their 5 Year Anniversary in Long Beach this Saturday July 9th. They will be opening their doors early at 10:30am. This includes their Blendery location around the corner on LB Blvd. Their tap list is listed below. For more info you can also visit them at http://www.beachwoodbbq.com

The opening date of the new Ballast Point location in Long Beach has long been a mystery. We all knew it was coming, but when exactly was the mystery. Even with contacts on the inside, we still couldn’t get the info. While at our 2nd MeetUp on Wednesday, one of the members mentioned, “Ballast Point is opening tomorrow”. Sure enough, with just a simple Facebook post, it was announced they would be opening their doors at 11AM the next day. I guess when you’re as big as Ballast Point, all you need is a little Facebook post to inform the masses.

On Thursday, June 30th, we were fortunate enough to have been able to be there as the doors opened. Pulling up, you can see construction still going on as they are putting on the final touches to the building. We strolled around the building, this place is massive and impressive. After taking a lap, we jumped in line (yes, there was a line) around 10:50. We were probably 20 back.. Right at 11, they opened as scheduled. We were really happy that we went right as they opened because from the photos friends posted later in the evening, they showed how packed the place was.

There are 2 levels and 3 bars, 2 downstairs and one upstairs and plenty of places to sit all over. The most popular spots, I imagine, will be the upstairs areas overlooking the bay. It was an honor to meet Chris and Dougie, who run the actual brewery and got to check out their operation. Their first brew is officially in process and they expect it to be ready in about 3 weeks. Did we mention this location will be focusing on their Sour Program?? Can’t wait! Below is a photo of Dougie bear hugging his Bretts…

Need to charge your phone or plug in your computer? The bars, or at least the first one I sat at in the back corner of the first floor, have outlets for both plugs and usb. They also have the hooks for women (or men) to hang their purses.

There’s tons more awesome I can say about having Ballast Point in Long Beach, but I’m sure everyone already knows how awesome they are.. So instead, enjoy the photos…

For our 2nd MeetUp, we “met up” at Timeless Pints in Lakewood. Those who showed up early were able to meet the Brewer, Chris, and also receive the Grand Tour of the facility and learn a little about the brewing process. They moved up the release of their newest seasonal beer, Smokey Chocolate and Rye Stout, from Thursday to Wednesday so the group would have a chance to have a pint or two.

The group has doubled since the first MeetUp and we’re excited to meet so many awesome people who also enjoy or are just as interested in craft beer. If you’re interested in joining us for our next adventure, CLICK HERE and join our MeetUp Group!

A huge shout out to Rae @ Timeless Pints for working with us to get the event set up and thanks to the Brewer, Chris, for sticking around longer than he normally would to meet and chat with us!

For anyone living in/around Long Beach/Lakewood and/or if you’re just passing through, definitely stop by, they’re right off the 405!